Green Beans, Fish Cakes, Potato Salad, Stuffed Portobellos

Parmesan  Roasted Green Beans
Needed a side dish to go with our Panko Crusted Cod on Friday night...

1 lb Green Beans, topped & tailed
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese from a can
2 Tbsp Panko
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
Handful of shaved Almonds

Toss it all together in a bowl, lay out on a parchment covered baking tray.  Bake @400F for 20-25 minutes.

Mediterranean Fish Cakes

Sunday brunch with Mum gave me a chance to try out this new-to-me fish cake recipe.  Sally & Mum both gave it thumbs up!

1-1/4 tsp Kosher Salt, divided

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/4 tsp Dried Ginger

1/8 tsp dry Mustard

1/8 tsp Turmeric

1/8 tsp Cayenne 

3 Tbsp EVOO, divided

12 ounces firm white fish, I used Ocean Perch

2 Tbsp Mayo

1 tsp Lemon Zest

1 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 to 1/2 cup Panko 

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Green Onions, trimmed and thinly diagonally sliced, white and green parts separated

1 large Egg 

Raita

2 tablespoons finely chopped cucumber

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, ginger, mustard, turmeric, and cayenne; stir in 1 tablespoon oil. Brush the spice mix over the fish and bake 8 to 12 minutes until flaky. Cool; break into pieces.

Put the mayo, zest, and chickpeas in a bowl; mash with a fork or potato masher to form a chunky  mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon oil; continue mashing. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, panko, juice, white parts of the green onions, and egg. Mash some more.  Carefully fold in the fish. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions; shape each into a cake.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add the cakes; cook 3-5 minutes per side, until browned. Careful, they are somewhat fragile!  

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425°F until firm, 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the cucumber, green parts of the green onion, dill, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt into the yogurt.

Serve the fish cakes with a dollop of raita and a side dish.  I made Avocado Dill Potato Salad.

Avocado & Dill Potato Salad

Not sure where we found this recipe, but it is very tasty, and trades avocado for the mayonnaise usually used for the dressing..  

2 lbs small Red Potatoes

1 large Avocado

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

1/2 tsp(or less)Kosher or Sea salt

1-1/2 tsp maple or cane syrup to balance the acidic lemon and spicy mustard 

Black Pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh Dill, packed and then chopped

3-4 Green onions chopped

3 stalks Celery, trimmed and sliced

1/2 Sweet Onion, diced

Steam, boil or microwave the potatoes until just fork tender. Immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking.  Chill the potatoes before quartering. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Peel, pit and mash the avocado in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, mustard, paprika, salt, and sweet syrup, and whisk into the avocado to create a dressing. Season with pepper to taste.

Add the dill, green onion, celery, onion, and avocado dressing to the quartered potatoes. Toss gently until everything is coated. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.

Stuffed Portobellos My Way

We wanted something lite for Sunday dinner after all those fishcakes and potato salad.  This is a combination of recipes from the Blood Sugar Diet book.

4 large Portobello Caps

1 can Chickpeas drained, rinsed and dried on paper towel

Paprika to taste

1 box frozen Spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as you can.

Nutmeg to taste

1 oz ?? Goat Cheese to taste

1/4 cup Pine Nuts

Drain and rinse the garbanzos and toss with paprika. Thaw and wring out the spinach and dust with nutmeg.

Carefully remove the mushroom stems and soft white cap edges. Reserve for another recipe. 

Drizzle caps with a splash of EVOO, add salt & pepper to taste. Broil/grill for 3 minutes, gill-side to the heat.

Put 1/4 of the spinach in the bottom of each mushroom.  Top that with chickpeas.  Sprinkle on the pine nuts and dot with goat cheese.

Grill for an additional 3-6 minutes until heated through.

Tasty and filling!  

Sally likes her goat cheese.  In this recipe I would personally have used mozzarella or one of the great Mexican melting cheeses.